


Bittersweet

by the_green_hedgehog



Series: At Arms Length [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Pining, but mainly angst, lots of pining from Ozpin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:26:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23790055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_green_hedgehog/pseuds/the_green_hedgehog
Summary: Sometimes sweet moments can hurt the most.
Relationships: Ozpin (RWBY)/Reader
Series: At Arms Length [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713913
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Bittersweet

Ozpin woke up to the smell of her hair; she was cuddled up to his side, her head on his chest. He couldn’t help but smile as he glanced at the top of her head before giving her a light kiss.

“Good morning,” Ozpin whispered.

“Not yet,” came her groggy reply as she snuggled closer to him. He chuckled as he gently nudged her up and out of the bed with him.

They went through their usual routines, seamlessly moving around each other and giving help when the other needed it. Ozpin made a simple breakfast for them before they headed their separate ways, her to her classroom to teach and him to his office.

During lunch she came by his office to eat with him. They sat and talked until she absolutely had to leave to make it back to her next class in time. Although, their goodbye kiss might have ended up making her late anyway. 

Around 4:30 he received a message from her: [Chin up! Almost done for the day! Whoever gets home first has to make dinner!]

He smiled as he sent his reply. [Then I guess I should make a point of getting home before you since I would prefer the kitchen not be set on fire tonight.]

[THAT WAS ONE TIME!!!!] Came the immediate reply. Ozpin couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh while remembering the incident in question.

She had fallen asleep almost immediately after they had settled in for the night which was slightly unusual for her. It hadn’t seemed like she was that tired earlier and it made him wonder if there was something going on that was putting any strain on her. He would make sure to ask how she felt and if everything was alright in her classes first thing in the morning. As he decided on a plan, he draped his arm over her waist and felt his heart warm as she moved closer to him.

~~

The alarm went off and Ozpin reached out to the nightstand to turn it off. Once the room was silent again, he sat on the side of the bed rubbing his face. He couldn’t help but glance behind him at the other side of the bed where it was cold and empty. He sighed and heaved himself out of bed to start the day, going through his morning routine, feeling like something, or someone, was missing.

He sat in his office, doing some of the work that Glynda kept getting on him to do. By the time classes were over he had finally caught up. He decided to reward himself by taking a stroll around campus. As he did, he saw _her_ a little ways ahead speaking to a few students. Walking towards her, he couldn’t help admiring how lovely she looked with the sun shining on her making her look as though she was glowing. Then, almost as if she sensed him, she looked up at him and her beautiful smile lit up her face. He tried to ignore how her reaction to seeing him made him feel, but despite the lifetimes of experience he had, he was still very much human, and he could not stop his heart from beating a little faster at the sight of her.

“If you have any more questions, come by my classroom tomorrow alright?” She dismissed the students she had been speaking with and turned to him. “Good afternoon, Professor. How are you today?”

“I am doing very well, thank you. I didn’t mean to disrupt your conversation,” he said, though he didn’t feel anywhere close to sorry.

“Oh, you’re fine. They had asked all their questions already and we were just chatting. So, what are you up to? Hiding from Glynda again?” An impish smile played on her lips.

He noted her mischievous look and couldn’t help but chuckle, “Not this time, in fact I am completely caught up in my work.”

“My, she’ll be happy about that. I noticed you weren’t about campus today like you usually are. You must have really been working hard.” She sounded impressed, and he couldn’t help feeling a little proud of himself at her praise, nor could he stop the happiness at hearing she noticed his absence. 

“Indeed, which is why I decided a nice walk would be a good way to relax after a hard day’s work.” Ozpin hesitated slightly before continuing, “Would you care to join me? If you are not needed elsewhere, of course.”

“I’d be delighted.” The beautiful smile that blossomed on her face made his breath hitch. Luckily, he had been able to hide his reaction from her, at least he hoped he had.

The next hour was spent walking side by side through the gardens deep in conversion. He soaked up every minute in her presence, wanting to make sure he committed as many details as he could to memory. He knew moments like this didn’t last forever, and he wanted as many memories with her as he could get.

That night, as Ozpin laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, he thought about his dream from the previous night. Over the years, he’d had so many dreams of her. While there was the occasional nightmare where he had lost her, either by a mission gone wrong or by Salem herself, he was fortunate that most of his dreams of her were pleasant. His mind wandered to his interactions with her today. Her smile, her voice, the way her eyes would light up when she talked about something she loved. There were so many sides to her, she could be silly and kind, her wit, she was never afraid of voicing her opinion or asking questions. Of course, she had her faults as well, like her stubbornness and a bit of a sharp tongue at times, but he acknowledges those as well and found them to be rather endearing. 

She was _so close_ , but he had already decided when accepting his fate that he would not become romantically involved with anyone in this life. He wouldn’t risk putting her in danger, no matter how much his heart ached for her. So, he would continue to keep her at arm’s length, even though holding her in his arms was what he desperately wanted. It was a special kind of torture to just stay friends and colleagues when there was the chance to be so much more. It would have been wise to distance himself from her completely, but he just couldn’t give up their talks. He would allow himself that one indulgence. 

Ozpin turned on his side, facing away from the empty side of the bed. As he closed his eyes, he hoped that he would have another sweet dream of her tonight. After all, it was only in his dreams that he could be with her and love her as he longed to.


End file.
